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The Big Man (novel)
''The Big Man'' is a novel by William McIlvanney published in 1986 based on real life miner and bare knuckle boxer Thomas Tallen. The book was adapted into a film directed by David Leland, ''The Big Man'' (1990), which stars Liam Neeson, Billy Connolly, and Hugh Grant. Plot This novel relates the story of Dan Scoular, an unemployed man who turns to bare-knuckle boxing Bare-knuckle boxing (or simply bare-knuckle) is a combat sport which involves two individuals throwing punches at each other for a predetermined amount of time without any boxing gloves or other form of padding on their hands. It is a regulated ... to make a living. References 1985 British novels Novels about boxing Scottish novels Novels by William McIlvanney Hodder & Stoughton books {{1980s-novel-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
William McIlvanney
William McIlvanney (25 November 1936 – 5 December 2015) was a Scottish novelist, short story writer, and poet. He was known as Gus by friends and acquaintances. McIlvanney was a champion of gritty yet poetic literature; his works ''Laidlaw'', '' The Papers of Tony Veitch'', and ''Walking Wounded'' are all known for their portrayal of Glasgow in the 1970s. He is regarded as "the father of '' Tartan Noir''" and as Scotland's Camus. Biography McIlvanney was born in Kilmarnock on 25 November 1936, the youngest of four children of a former miner, and attended school at Kilmarnock Academy. He went on to study English at the University of Glasgow and graduated with an MA in 1960. McIlvanney then worked as an English teacher until 1975, when he left the position of assistant headmaster at Greenwood Academy to pursue his writing career. The writer's elder brother was the sports journalist Hugh McIlvanney. His son, Liam McIlvanney, is also a crime writer. In addition to his literary ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hodder & Stoughton
Hodder & Stoughton is a British publishing house, now an imprint (trade name), imprint of Hachette (publisher), Hachette. History Early history The firm has its origins in the 1840s, with Matthew Hodder's employment, aged 14, with Messrs Jackson and Walford, the official publisher for the Congregational church, Congregational Union. In 1861 the firm became Jackson, Walford and Hodder; but in 1868 Jackson and Walford retired, and Thomas Wilberforce Stoughton joined the firm, creating Hodder & Stoughton. Hodder & Stoughton published both religious and secular works, and its religious list contained some progressive titles. These included George Adam Smith, George Adam Smith's ''Isaiah'' for its ''Expositor’s Bible'' series, which was one of the earliest texts to identify multiple authorship in the Book of Isaiah. There was also a sympathetic ''Life of Francis of Assisi, St Francis'' by Paul Sabatier (theologian), Paul Sabatier, a French Protestant pastor. Matthew Hodder ma ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
William Morrow & Co
William Morrow and Company is an American publishing company founded by William Morrow in 1926. The company was acquired by Scott Foresman in 1967, sold to Hearst Corporation in 1981, and sold to News Corporation (now News Corp) in 1999. The company is now an imprint of HarperCollins. William Morrow has published many fiction and non-fiction authors, including Ray Bradbury, Michael Chabon, Beverly Cleary, Neil Gaiman, Erle Stanley Gardner, B. H. Liddell Hart, Elmore Leonard, Steven D. Levitt, Steven Pinker, Judith Rossner, and Neal Stephenson. Francis Thayer Hobson was president and later chairman of the board of William Morrow and Company. Morrow authors * Christopher Andersen * Harriet Brown * Karin Slaughter * Harry Browne * Stephen Brusatte * Meg Cabot * Beverly Cleary * Charles Dickinson * Warren Ellis * Bruce Feiler * Neil Gaiman * David J. Garrow * Nikki Giovanni * John Grogan * Andrew Gross * Jean Guerrero * Joe Hill * Ismail Kadare * Steven D. Levitt * Mar ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
David Leland
David Leland (born 20 April 1947) is an English film director, screenwriter and actor who came to international fame with his directorial debut ''Wish You Were Here'' in 1987. Life He initially trained as an actor at Central School of Speech and Drama. In 1963, he was part of the breakaway group of Central staff and students who formed Drama Centre London. After several small parts as actor he began his collaboration with British television director Alan Clarke in 1981. Their film ''Made in Britain'' was well received and featured the first screen role of actor Tim Roth. ''Made in Britain'' won the Prix Italia (an international Television award) in 1984. In 1986, Leland and director Neil Jordan co-wrote the screenplay for the thriller-drama ''Mona Lisa'', featuring Bob Hoskins. With Jordan, he was nominated for BAFTA, Golden Globe and Writers Guild of America awards. He then wrote ''Personal Services'' in 1986. It was directed by Terry Jones and concerned Cynthia Payne, a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Big Man
''The Big Man'' (US title: ''Crossing the Line'') is a 1990 feature film. It stars Liam Neeson, Joanne Whalley and Billy Connolly. The film's score was composed by Ennio Morricone. It is based on the 1986 novel of the same name by William McIlvanney. Plot A Scottish miner (Liam Neeson) becomes unemployed during a union strike. He is unable to support his family and cannot resolve his bitterness about his situation. Desperate for money, he accepts an offer made by a Glasgow gangster to fight in an illegal bare-knuckle boxing match. A long and brutal fight follows. Production Filmed at locations in Coalburn, Glasgow and Spain. Cast *Liam Neeson as Danny Scoular *Joanne Whalley-Kilmer as Beth Scoular *Billy Connolly as Frankie *Ian Bannen as Matt Mason *Juliet Cadzow as Margaret Mason * Tom Watson as Tommy Brogan *Hugh Grant as Gordon *Kenny Ireland as Tony *George Rossi as Eddie *Julie Graham as Melanie *Johnny Beattie as Beth's father *Amanda Walker as Beth's mother *Pe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Liam Neeson
William John Neeson (born 7 June 1952) is an actor from Northern Ireland. He has received several accolades, including nominations for an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, and two Tony Awards. In 2020, he was placed 7th on ''The Irish Times'' list of Ireland's 50 Greatest Film Actors. Neeson was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2000. In 1976, Neeson joined the Lyric Players' Theatre in Belfast for two years. He then acted in the Arthurian film ''Excalibur'' (1981). He appeared in supporting roles in '' The Bounty'' (1984), '' The Mission'' (1986), and ''Husbands and Wives'' (1992). He rose to prominence after his leading performance as Oskar Schindler in Steven Spielberg's holocaust drama ''Schindler's List'' (1993). He continued to star in dramas such as ''Nell'' (1994), '' Rob Roy'' (1995), ''Michael Collins'' (1996), and ''Les Misérables'' (1998). In 1999 he took the role of Qui-Gon Jinn in George Lucas' space opera '' Star Wars: ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Billy Connolly
Sir William Connolly (born 24 November 1942) is a Scottish actor, retired comedian, artist, writer, musician, and presenter. He is sometimes known, especially in his homeland, by the Scots nickname the Big Yin ("the Big One"). Known for his idiosyncratic and often improvised observational comedy, frequently including strong language, Connolly has topped many UK polls as the greatest stand-up comedian of all time. In 2022 he received the BAFTA Fellowship for lifetime achievement from the British Academy of Film and Television Arts. Connolly's trade, in the early 1960s, was that of a welder (specifically a boilermaker) in the Glasgow shipyards, but he gave it up towards the end of the decade to pursue a career as a folk singer. He first sang in the folk rock band The Humblebums with Gerry Rafferty and Tam Harvey, with whom he stayed until 1974, before beginning singing as a solo artist. In the early 1970s, Connolly made the transition from folk singer with a comedic persona ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hugh Grant
Hugh John Mungo Grant (born 9 September 1960) is an English actor. He established himself early in his career as both a charming, and vulnerable romantic lead and has since transitioned into a dramatic character actor. Among his numerous accolades, he has received a British Academy Film Award, a Golden Globe Award, Volpi Cup, and an Honorary César. , his films had grossed a total of nearly US$3 billion worldwide. In 2022 ''Time Out'' magazine listed Grant as one of Britain's Greatest Actors of all time. Grant first received attention for his early roles in acclaimed costume dramas such as Merchant-Ivory's ''Maurice'' (1987), for which he won the Volpi Cup for Best Actor, and ''The Remains of the Day'' (1993), as well as ''Sense and Sensibility'' (1995) and ''Restoration'' (1995). Grant then reached global stardom as a leading man in Richard Curtis's romantic comedy film ''Four Weddings and a Funeral'' (1994), whereupon he received the Golden Globe Award and the BAFT ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bare-knuckle Boxing
Bare-knuckle boxing (or simply bare-knuckle) is a combat sport which involves two individuals throwing punches at each other for a predetermined amount of time without any boxing gloves or other form of padding on their hands. It is a regulated sport across the world. The difference between street fighting and a bare-knuckle boxing match is that the latter has an accepted set of rules, such as not striking a downed opponent. The rules that provided the foundation for bare-knuckle boxing for much of the 18th and 19th centuries were the London Prize Ring Rules. By the late 19th century, professional boxing moved from bare-knuckle to using boxing gloves. The last major world heavyweight championship happened in 1889 and was held by John L. Sullivan. The American ''National Police Gazette'' magazine was recognized as sanctioning the world championship titles. Bare-knuckle boxing has seen a resurgence in the 21st century with the English promotion BKB (Bare Knuckle Boxing) along wi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1985 British Novels
The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** The Internet's Domain Name System is created. ** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a new agreement on fishing rights. * January 7 – Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency launches ''Sakigake'', Japan's first interplanetary spacecraft and the first deep space probe to be launched by any country other than the United States or the Soviet Union. * January 15 – Tancredo Neves is elected president of Brazil by the Congress, ending the 21-year military rule. * January 20 – Ronald Reagan is privately sworn in for a second term as President of the United States. * January 27 – The Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) is formed, in Tehran. * January 28 – The charity single record "We Are the World" is recorded by USA for Africa. February * February 4 – The border between Gibraltar and Spain reopen ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Novels About Boxing
A novel is a relatively long work of narrative fiction, typically written in prose and published as a book. The present English word for a long work of prose fiction derives from the for "new", "news", or "short story of something new", itself from the la, novella, a singular noun use of the neuter plural of ''novellus'', diminutive of ''novus'', meaning "new". Some novelists, including Nathaniel Hawthorne, Herman Melville, Ann Radcliffe, John Cowper Powys, preferred the term "romance" to describe their novels. According to Margaret Doody, the novel has "a continuous and comprehensive history of about two thousand years", with its origins in the Ancient Greek and Roman novel, in Chivalric romance, and in the tradition of the Italian renaissance novella.Margaret Anne Doody''The True Story of the Novel'' New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press, 1996, rept. 1997, p. 1. Retrieved 25 April 2014. The ancient romance form was revived by Romanticism, especially the historica ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Scottish Novels
The novel in Scotland includes all long prose fiction published in Scotland and by Scottish authors since the development of the literary format in the eighteenth century. The novel was soon a major element of Scottish literary and critical life. Tobias Smollett's picaresque novels, such as ''The Adventures of Roderick Random'' and ''The Adventures of Peregrine Pickle'' mean that he is often seen as Scotland's first novelist. Other Scots who contributed to the development of the novel in the eighteenth century include Henry Mackenzie and John Moore. There was a tradition of moral and domestic fiction in the early nineteenth century that included the work of Elizabeth Hamilton, Mary Brunton and Christian Johnstone. The outstanding literary figure of the early nineteenth century was Walter Scott, whose ''Waverley'' is often called the first historical novel. He had a major worldwide influence. His success led to a publishing boom in Scotland. Major figures that benefited included J ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
